Authority And Power

A former Sergeant in the Marine Corps took a new job as a high school teacher. Just before the

school year started, he injured his back. He was required to wear a plaster cast around the upper

part of his body. Fortunately, the cast fit under his shirt and wasn’t noticeable. On the first

day of class, he found himself assigned to the toughest students in the school. The smart-aleck

punks, having already heard the new teacher was a former Marine,were leery of him and he knew they

would be testing his discipline in the classroom. Walking confidently into the rowdy classroom, the

new teacher opened the window wide and sat down at his desk. When a strong breeze made his tie flap,

he picked up a stapler and stapled the tie to his chest. Dead silence. The rest of the year went

very smoothly.